The present invention relates to a composition for refreshing a fabric. More particularly, the present invention relates to an aqueous composition that provides long-lasting fragrance, malodor control, and imparts improved appearance to fabrics treated with such a composition.
There is an increasing use of more informal clothes for both business as well as leisure. Often these types of clothes are re-used without laundering, or when laundered are not ironed. The high cost and environmental considerations of traditional dry-cleaning reduces the desirability of such a process to xe2x80x9cfreshenxe2x80x9d clothes. Accordingly, there is a need for compositions and processes that may be used by a consumer to provide clothes with a reduced malodor, a fresh long-lasting scent, and an attractive appearance (i.e., reduced wrinkles and creases) without resort to conventional laundering and ironing or dry cleaning.
Compositions have been developed that are sprayed onto fabrics to improve their appearance. For example, Schwartz et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,674,688 discloses an aqueous alcoholic solution of a cationic surfactant, such as dialkyl dimethyl ammonium chloride, to remove wrinkles. Kandathil, U.S. Pat. No. 3,833,393 discloses a composition containing a fabric stiffening agent, such as starch, an organic solvent with high penetrating ability and an emulsifiable wax, with optional ingredients such as a water-soluble polyalkylene glycol, a salt of a water-soluble amine, and a fatty acid or an emulsified silicone that may be sprayed onto a fabric to stiffen it.
Jacobson et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,661,268 discloses a product and a process for removing wrinkles. The product consists essentially of an alcohol-aqueous solution containing a silicone-glycol copolymer surfactant and/or a fluorinated alkyl ester surfactant together with a quaternary ammonium salt surfactant. The process consists of spraying the product onto a fabric to dampen it. Church, U.S. Pat. No. 4,806,254 discloses an aqueous composition for removing wrinkles containing a monohydric alcohol, glycerine, a nonionic surfactant, and dimethyl siloxane.
A composition for fabric wrinkle reduction and shape retention is disclosed in Coffindaffer, U.S. Pat. No. 4,923,623, which includes a liquid starch having curable amino functional silicones. A fabric wrinkle reduction composition and method is disclosed by Agbomeirele et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,566 (xe2x80x9c""566 patentxe2x80x9d), which contains an aqueous-alcoholic solution of an anionic siliconate and glycerine. The ""566 patent also discloses a method for applying such a composition onto a fabric. Vogel et al., U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,532,023 and 5,798,107 disclose the use of an aqueous spray for reducing wrinkles on treated fabric using compositions containing an effective amount of non-volatile silicone fluids, such as polydimethyl siloxane gums and amino silicones together with an effective amount of film-forming polymers.
All of the patents set forth above disclose wrinkle abatement compositions and processes. All of these patents, however, are unsatisfactory for meeting the need for wrinkle abatement, long-lasting fragrance, and malodor control in a single, easy-to-use composition.
An approach to reducing malodors on fabrics is disclosed in Trinh et al., U.S. Pat. No. 6,001,343, which includes an uncomplexed cyclodextrin in an aqueous system, a fragrance wherein at least 80% by weight of the fragrance components have a ClogP of less than 3.5, and cyclodextrin-compatible fiber lubricants such as polydimethyl siloxanes which are hydrophobic and shape retention polymers, lithium salt or mixtures thereof for odor and wrinkle control. This patent, however, suffers from the drawback that it does not provide a long lasting fragrance.
While the approaches set forth above are designed to control odors or reduce wrinkles, none of them addresses the problem of maintaining a fresh smell and combating environmental odors during use. Accordingly, a need exists for a composition that provides a long-lasting fragrance that will provide a fresh clean smell, counteract malodors, and reduce wrinkles without the need to iron.
One embodiment of the invention is a fabric refreshing composition. This composition includes:
(a) a water soluble silicone of the formula I: 
xe2x80x83wherein
M is 40 to 200,
N is 0 to 20, and
R1 is a polyethylene or a polypropylene ether;
(b) a fragrance composition; and
(c) an aqueous carrier containing an emulsifier.
Another embodiment of the invention is a process for refreshing a fabric. This process includes applying to a fabric a sufficient amount of a fabric refreshing composition to dampen the fabric, wherein the composition includes:
(i) a water soluble silicone of the formula I: 
xe2x80x83wherein
M is 40 to 200,
N is 0 to 20, and
R1 is a polyethylene or a polypropylene ether;
(ii) a fragrance composition; and
(iii) an aqueous carrier containing an emulsifier. While the fabric is still damp, a wrinkle-removing force is then applied to the fabric, which force is sufficient to substantially remove the wrinkles from the fabric.
We have surprisingly found that a long-lasting scent may be imparted to a fabric by spraying the fabric with a fabric refreshing composition containing a water-soluble silicone, a fragrance, and an aqueous carrier. We have also found that such a composition also provides wrinkle-reduction.
As used herein, the terms xe2x80x9cwrinkle-reduction,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cde-wrinkling,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cwrinkle abatementxe2x80x9d are used interchangeably, and refer to the ability of the present process, and compositions to remove wrinkles from a fabric.
As used herein, the term xe2x80x9cmalodor controlxe2x80x9d refers to the ability of the present process and compositions to reduce any malodor that a fabric has picked up and to help reduce the perception of malodor when the fabric is subsequently exposed to a malodor.
In the present invention, the term xe2x80x9cfabricxe2x80x9d means articles of clothing or other household materials (sheets, towels, blankets, etc.). In the present invention, xe2x80x9cfabricxe2x80x9d includes synthetic, natural, nylon, acrylic, and blended articles. For example, a fabric may include materials made from cotton, linen, polyester, rayon, and blends thereof.
Thus, in the present invention, xe2x80x9cfabric refreshingxe2x80x9d or a fabric refreshing composition refers to a single composition that imparts a fragrance, malodor control, and wrinkle abatement to a fabric.
In the present invention the water-soluble silicone is a dimethicone copolyol, which is a polymer of dimethyl siloxane with polyoxyethylene and/or polyoxypropylene side chains having the structure of formula I: 
wherein
M is 40 to 200;
N is 0 to 20; and
R1 is a polyethylene or a polypropylene ether.
The water-soluble silicone is present in the composition in an amount that is at least 0.1%(wt), preferably at least 0.4%(wt). The water-soluble silicone may contain at least one, preferably at least two dimethicone copolyols.
The dimethicone copolyol is one that is water-soluble, and has a surface activity that enables it to wet and penetrate the fiber. The preferred polymer is one that has an ethylene oxide to propylene oxide ratio (xe2x80x9cEO/POxe2x80x9d) greater than 20/80, preferably greater than 40/60, and a surface tension in a 0.1% solution in water at 25xc2x0 C. of less than 25 mN/m. Examples of dimethicone copolyols that may be used in the present invention include the TEGOPREN(copyright) nonionic series marketed by Goldschmidt Corporation (Hopewell, Va.).
The fragrance composition in the fabric refreshing composition may be a perfume oil consisting of a mixture of one or more of the following classes of compounds: alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, acetals, oximes, nitrites, ethers, and essential oils. Preferably, the fragrance composition contains at least 75% of an aroma chemical with a vapor pressure at 25xc2x0 C. below 5,000 micrograms per liter, preferably below 2,000 micrograms per liter. Preferably, the aroma chemical will have a low perception threshold.
In an alternative embodiment, the fabric refreshing compositions may contain a fragrance composition wherein greater than 50%(wt) of the components therein have a vapor pressure of less than 5,000 microgram per liter at 25xc2x0 C.
The aqueous carrier contains water and an emulsifier. The carrier may optionally contain low molecular weight monohydric alcohols that are highly water soluble, for example C1-C4 alcohols such as methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, propyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol and mixtures thereof, and low molecular weight polyhydric alcohols, for example C2-C6 alcohols such as ethylene glycol, polyalkylene glycols, etc., and mixtures thereof. The water is preferably demineralized water.
The aqueous carrier is typically greater than 80%(wt) of the composition, preferably greater than 90%(wt) of the composition. The aqueous carrier may contain optional ingredients such as wetting agents, antimicrobial agents, sequesterants, UV absorbers, water-soluble dyes, optical brighteners, fiber lubricants, fiber relaxants, antistatic agents, chelating agents, soil release polymers, and mixtures thereof.
As set forth above, wetting agents may be present in the aqueous carrier. Such agents help the soluble silicones to penetrate the fibers of a treated fabric and do not produce copious foam, especially when applied by a spray. Examples of suitable wetting agents that may be used in the present invention include fluorosurfactants, such as ZONYL(copyright) fluorosurfactants from E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company, (Wilmington, Del.), or alkyl glucosides such as the BEROL(copyright) series from Akzo Nobel (Stenungsund, Sweden). Mixtures of such wetting agents may also be used.
The fiber relaxant/lubricant agents of the present invention may be natural or synthetic polymers. These polymers may include, for example, cationic polyglycolethers, silicon microemulsions, quaternized polymethysiloxanes, polycarboxylic acids, polyvinylpyrrolidone/dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate copolymers, and mixtures thereof.
Antimicrobial agents may be incorporated into the present compositions. Such antimicrobial agents include, for example, metal salts such as zinc citrate, zinc oxide, zinc pyrethiones, and octopirox; organic acids, such as sorbic acid, benzoic acid, and their salts; parabens, such as methyl paraben, propyl paraben, butyl paraben, ethyl paraben, isopropyl paraben, isobutyl paraben, benzyl paraben, and their salts; alcohols, such as benzyl alcohol, phenyl ethyl alcohol; boric acid; 2,4,4xe2x80x2-trichloro-2-hydroxy-diphenyl ether; phenolic compounds, such as phenol, 2-methyl phenol, 4-ethyl phenol; essential oils such as rosemary, thyme, lavender, eugenol, geranium, tea tree, clove, lemon grass, peppermint, or their active components such as anethole, thymol, eucalyptol, famesol, menthol, limonene, methyl salicylate, salicylic acid, terpineol, nerolidol, geraniol, and mixtures thereof.
Examples of the chelating agents that may be incorporated into the aqueous carrier include, for example, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium acid pyrophosphate, tetrasodium pyrophosphate, aminopolycarboxylates such as nitlilotriacetic acid and ethylenediamine tetracetic acid and salts thereof, and polyphosphonates and aminopolyphosphonates such as hydroxyethanediphosphonic acid, ethylenediamine tetramethylenephosphonic acid, diethylenetriaminepentamethylenephosphonic acid and salts thereof. The chelating agent selected is not critical except that it must be compatible with the other components in the composition.
The emulsifier in the aqueous carrier is used to solubilize components in the fabric refreshing composition, such as the fragrances. The emulsifier may be selected from anionic, amphoteric, and nonionic surfactants and mixtures thereof. The criteria for selecting the emulsifier or mixture of emulsifiers is/are that the emulsifier produces a transparent or translucent solution that is stable. The level and type of emulsifier should not produce significant foaming on spraying or leave a sticky residue on the treated fabrics. Typically, the level of emulsifier will be greater than 0.05%(wt), such as for example, between 0.05%(wt) to about 3%(wt), preferably from about 0.1%(wt) to about 1%(wt).
Non-ionic surfactants are preferably used as the emulsifier in the present invention. Nonionic surfactants are compounds produced by the condensation of alkylene oxide groups with an organic hydrophobic material, which may be aliphatic, or alkyl aromatic in nature. The length of the hydrophilic or polyoxyalkylene radical that is condensed with any particular hydrophobic group may be readily adjusted to yield a water-soluble compound having the desired degree of balance between hydrophilic and hydrophobic elements.
Examples of various nonionic surfactant types suitable for use in the present invention include: a) polyoxyethylene or polyoxypropylene condensates of aliphatic carboxylic acids, whether linear or branched-chain and saturated or unsaturated, containing from about 8 to about 18 carbon atoms in the aliphatic chain and incorporating from about 5 to about 50 ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide units. Suitable carboxylic acids include xe2x80x9ccoconutxe2x80x9d fatty acids which contain an average of about 12 carbon atoms, xe2x80x9ctallowxe2x80x9d fatty acids which contain an average of about 18 carbon atoms, palmitic acid, myristic acid, stearic acid, and lactic acid; (b) polyoxyethylene or polyoxypropylene condensates of aliphatic alcohols, whether linear or branched-chain and saturated or unsaturated, containing from about 6 to about 24 carbon atoms and incorporating from about 5 to about 50 ethylene oxide and/or propylene oxide units. Suitable alcohols include xe2x80x9ccoconutxe2x80x9d fatty alcohol, xe2x80x9ctallowxe2x80x9d fatty alcohol, lauryl alcohol, myristyl alcohol and oleyl alcohol. Examples of such compounds include CREMOPHOR(copyright) RH 40 and CREMOPHOR(copyright) RH-60 and mixtures thereof, which are hydrogenated ethoxylated castor oil marketed by BASF Corporation (Mount Olive, N.J.); and (c) polyoxyethylene or polyoxypropylene condensates of alkyl phenols. These compounds include the condensation products of alkyl phenols having an alkyl group containing from about 6 to 12 carbon atoms in either a straight chain or branched configuration with ethylene and/or propylene oxide, the ethylene and/or propylene oxide being present at about 5 to 25 moles of ethylene and/or propylene oxide per mole of alkyl phenol. The alkyl substituent in such compounds may be derived, for example, from polymerized propylene, diisobutylene, and the like. Examples of compounds of this type include nonyl phenol condensed with about 9.5 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of phenol; dinonyl phenol condensed with about 12 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of phenol; dinonyl phenol condensed with about 15 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of phenol; and diisooctyl phenol condensed with about 15 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of phenol. Commercially available nonionic surfactants of this type include IGEPAL CO-630(copyright), marketed by the GAF Corporation (Wayne, N.J.), and TRITON(copyright) X-45, X-114, X-100, and X-102, all marketed by the Rohm and Haas Company (Philadelphia, Pa.). Preferred nonionic surfactants in this category include water-soluble surfactants sold by the Rohm and Haas Company under the trademark TRITON(copyright). An example of a preferred TRITON(copyright) surfactant is TRITON(copyright) X-100, which is an octylphenoxypolyethoxyethanol containing an average of 10 moles of ethylene oxide. Other surfactants that are also classed as nonionic include, for example, anhydrohexitol derivatives, sugar esters, fatty alkanolamides, and fatty amine oxides.
Other examples of hydrogenated castor oil that may be used in the present compositions include Isoceteth-20 (ARLASOLVE(copyright) 200L) or a mixture of PPG-26 -Buteth-26 and PEG-40 hydrogenated castor oil (SOLUBILISATANT LRI(trademark) marketed by Warner Jenkinson Company, Inc., South Plainfield, N.J.).
Another embodiment of the invention is a process for refreshing a fabric. This process includes applying to a fabric a sufficient amount of a fabric refreshing composition, as defined above, to dampen the fabric, and while the fabric is damp, applying a wrinkle-removing force to the fabric sufficient to substantially remove the wrinkles from the fabric. One skilled in the art is readily able to determine how much of the fabric refreshing composition to apply to dampen the fabric. The amount will vary depending on the type of fabric to be refreshed, the surface area of the fabric, and other well-known variables.
As used herein, a xe2x80x9cwrinkle removing forcexe2x80x9d means a force that is placed on the fabric that is insufficient to damage the fabric but that places sufficient stress on it to straighten the fabric so as to substantially remove wrinkles from it. The wrinkle removing force may be applied to the fabric using any convenient means. For example, the force may be applied manually by fixing one end of the fabric and manually pulling on the opposite end until the fabric is straight.
The amount of time that the force must be maintained to substantially remove the wrinkles from the fabric will vary depending on the fabric, degree of wrinkle, and other well-known variables. This time period is easily determined by one skilled in the art or it may be easily determined empirically by a consumer.
As used herein, the phrase xe2x80x9csubstantially remove the wrinkles from the fabricxe2x80x9d means that after the wrinkle-removing force is applied, the fabric is sufficiently wrinkle-free that a typical consumer would consider it as such, and would wear or use the treated fabric. For purposes of the present invention, the wrinkles in a fabric are xe2x80x9csubstantially removedxe2x80x9d when the %wrinkle reduction as defined and measured in Example 4 is at least 40%, preferably greater than 45% compared to the fabric before treatment using the process of the invention.
In this process, the compositions of the present invention may be applied to fabrics using any conventional means so long as a sufficient amount of the composition is deposited onto the surface of the fabric to be refreshed. For example, the composition may be sprayed onto the fabric to be refreshed. Accordingly, the composition may be used in an aerosol spray dispenser, a self-pressurized non-aerosol spray dispenser, a pump-spray dispenser, or a trigger-spray dispenser. The compositions may also be atomized and then dispensed onto a surface of a fabric. The compositions may also be poured onto a surface of the fabric to be refreshed and manually worked in.
The following Examples are provided to further illustrate the compositions, and processes in accordance with the invention. These examples are illustrative only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way. In these examples, all % are %(wt), unless otherwise noted.